The Golden Ratio

‘The Golden Ratio Is A Reminder Of The Relatedness Of The Created World To The Perfection Of Its Source And Of Its Potential Future Evolution’. – Robert Lawlor

The Golden Ratio, also known as the Golden Section, or Divine Proportion, is often denoted by the Greek letter φ or τ (phi). It is approximately equal to 1.618. It was first defined by Euclid, the most prominent mathematician of Greco-Roman antiquity. The Golden Ratio over the centuries has even been considered the perfect illustration of beauty.

Things get really fascinating though when you illustrate this geometrically: if you were to draw squares with the dimensions of the numbers in the sequence, you would create the famous Golden Ratio Rectangle. The harmony of the Golden Ratio that was recognised by great mathematicians like Aristotle, Pythagoras can now be exemplified by you!

The Golden Ratio can be used in numerous mathematical contexts; it is said to appear in abundance in nature and pieces of art. It has also been seen as the standard for beauty and aesthetics. Why? One reason is that it seems to appear in nature lots of times, however, this is not as recurrent as one may think, often the idea that the Golden Ratio is universally found everywhere is an absolute exaggeration. The shape of the pine cone, the Romanesco Broccoli are often given as typical examples of the Golden Ratio, although none of these actually follow the proportions of the Gold Ratio.

The golden ratio has been used by legendary artists to locate aesthetically pleasing areas to place their subjects and distribute weight in their paintings. During the Renaissance, painter and draftsman Leonardo Da Vinci used the proportions set forth by the Golden Ratio to construct his masterpieces. One of the most alluring pieces is the Mona Lisa which was adorned by The Golden Ratio.

You can easily perceive the Fibonacci sequence in nature, the petals and leaves of plants are sometimes found within this pattern.

Well, do we use the Golden Ratio today? Yes and No

Artists and designers may sometimes use the Golden Ratio in creating everything from products to brand logos. There has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not the Apple logo uses the Golden Ratio

Now let's take this closer to home; hold out your arm and look at the distance between your shoulder and your elbow and then from your elbow to your fingertips. Pretty crazy huh? But doesn't stop there, this can go on and on and on. There are countless examples of the Golden Ratio in your own body itself like the distance from your belly button to the head, toes to knees, even your teeth, between the pupils of your eyes. Your whole body is the symphony of the Golden Ratio!